This is an intriguing novel set in an exclusive boarding school for in the eastern USA. It is a training place where girls are groomed for elite Ivy League universities. It has a student body whose parents are the elite of society. When the novel begins Ash Carlyle arrives from England at the beginning of term. She very quickly has a run-in with the top dog of the graduating class who is President of the top sorority at the school. Dean Ford presides over the school but she does not maintain a tight rein on activities undertaken behind her back. She knows Ash's circumstances and facilitated her admission to the school with the aid of a scholarship. As we watch Ash make some friends and ultimately be inducted into the top sorority, little do we realize the deep secrets she hides behind her exterior. But she is not the only one whose surface life is a lie. As the plot intensifies, one of the girls is discovered dead. It was staged to look like a suicide but was it a suicide or a murder.

There are incredible twists and turns at almost every juncture. The ending comes as a complete surprise and is surprisingly satisfying.




Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story line was a little slow to start but halfway through it really started to pick up and I found it hard to put down. Really good book

Wow, J.T. Ellison did it again. This book was un-put-downable for me. A boarding school, a murder, a girl running from her past what more could you want? This is the perfect recipe for a fast paced thriller that will have you guessing at every page.

In Marchburg, Virginia, there is a school for only the best of young women. Women who will go on to Ivy League colleges and success in life. I absolutely loved the setting of this book. Ash leaves England and ventures to the Goode School, but when things start to come amiss she must figure out a new plan as well as fix many messes that have been started.

This is an addicting and captivating book. I am sure that you will fly through this one. J.T. Ellison has become a go to author for me and I don't plan on missing any of her books!

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am always drawn to books that take place in a school setting, so I knew I’d enjoy this book. I picked up this book last night and finished it when I woke up this morning, Although the mystery wasn’t much of a surprise at all, I still enjoyed this book. Ellison did an excellent job with character development, which made up for the lack of a true twist or mystery.

It was not quite my genre, but I did enjoy it once I got past the first few chapters. It took time to care for the characters, but then it was an engaging read.

the good girl's lies surprised me on different occasions and there were twists that I didn't see coming. The school setting also grew on me after a while and I also appreciated the suspenseful writing.

The story takes place at a private women’s school, Goode Academy. Many of the students are children of Washington’s elite, senators, etc. Ash recently lost both of her parents, and is attending on a scholarship. But the school has secret societies, some who condone rigorous hazing. Dean Ford ignores what is happening around her, and things get crazy very fast. Then, a student dies in a mysterious way. Was it suicide, or did someone murder her? There are a lot of crazy twists and turns. This is a book you’ll find hard to put down. It keeps you guessing until the very last page. Highly recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Goode school is an all girls boarding school where only the best go!
I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
At the boarding school there is a murder - or is it suicide?
this is the shocking story of two sisters who decide to change lives - and of course it is all about the money to be inherited.
But what is truly scary is how desperate one is - nothing will stand in her way!
And then - to the shocking conclusion!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. I have read most of J.T. Ellison's books and they never disappoint. This one is no exception. I always enjoy a story that is told through multiple points of view. This book really flowed and kept me turning the pages. It was full of twists and turns that I do not wish to spoil for other readers. Just when you think all is said and done, there is a fantastic ending! An exciting read for anyone.

Ellison never fails to disappoint with great psychological thrillers! Great page turner from start to finish with a fantastic ending!

JT Ellison is a master at weaving a story that keeps your interest. So much so that you do not want to have to put it down! JT takes you with her into an all girls prep school. Very exclusive and a guarantee to be able to get into the University of your choice. A new student arrives all the way from Oxford. This girl, Ash is just wanting to get a good education and keep her head down. However, her first day there she clashes with the leader of the schools social structure. And this girl isn't one you want as your enemy. Ash has too many secrets she can't afford to have come out. So many dangerous secrets. She is leaving behind a life filled with pain and death she doesn't want anyone to know about. However, from day one things begin to happen that threatens to knock down her wall of secrets.
A story told by Ash and dean Ford's perspective and Dean Ford has her own secrets.
This book will keep you guessing from the beginning to the very end. The twists and turns of the plots will keep you on your toes and really to the very very end. Thank you NetGalley and JT Ellison for allowing me to read this book and give my honest option. I appreciate a book that you can't guess and keeps you trying to the very end!

I absolutely adore Boarding School books, and have a particular fondness for American prep schools, despite being neither American or preppy so was instantly intrigued by the premise of Good Girls Lie, a thriller set in the exclusive Goode School, an all girls school for the bright and well connected in the Virginian mountains.

The book starts with a body attached to the school gates, a body the girls whisper belongs to Ash Carlisle, before we are catapulted back in time to Ash's arrival at the school from her home in England. It's immediately apparent that Ash is carrying many secrets, as is everyone at the school. The Goode School is a place of tradition, rife with secret societies and rules, spoken and unspoken, presided over by a young head who feels as trapped within the ivy clad walls as any of her charges.

The narration moves from Ash to the head, to a cop helping her uncle investigate the body with the odd chapter narrated by other characters or third person from their viewpoint. It is, perhaps inevitably, present tense. This change of POV creates tension and speed, emphasising that no one can be trusted and all narrators at the Goode School are unreliable, but makes it hard to build any connection with any character and this lack of connection makes it hard to really get into the book, more observers of the events that unfold rather than really at the heart of the action. I also found it hard to gauge who the intended audience is - the place and age of many of the characters have a YA feel, but the language and explicitness in the sex and violence suggests an older audience.

Good Girls Lie is twisty, hiding secret upon secret all the way through and is entertaining enough, but the lack of connection made it hard to really care about what happened next or to invest in any characters diminishing any shock value or final pay off, hence the three stars rather than the four it might otherwise have been.

Overall I enjoyed this book! The beginning starts off very slow, and some what choppy. After the 10% mark it took off and I couldn’t stop reading. The Goode Girls are very prestigious, wealthy, teenagers. This book takes you into the secret society of boarding schools with many dark twists and turns.

Ash comes from a broken home, and the Goode School is her new place to start over. However, her new life comes with a lot of destruction and loss.

SPOILERS: Good Girls Lie brings a dark twist to the orphan girl finds herself at an all-girls prep school tale.. It's not obvious at the beginning how many narrators are involved in telling this story, which adds to the tension. There is no doubt something is up with Ash (or the girl pretending to be Ash) at the beginning. Even the piano teacher picks up on it. I started to wonder then if she wasn't who she said she was. Indicators were already there, but I was left wondering how this was going to develop. The author has written a book about people not living as their true selves. The head girl, Becca, was denying her sexuality for fear of the consequences and Alex had assumed an identity both for her own safety and to have better opportunities. I do think the Epilogue was unnecessary and was not at all believable considering how the characters had been developed in the main story.

Overall, this was an engaging book with enough twists to make it hard to put down. But many of the characters and the overall story fit into the usual trope about teen girls, boarding schools, secret societies, and all the bullying that goes along with that. There were too many characters with seemingly complicated motivations that were never fully developed to make you feel any sympathy or empathy for them. Even the main character is rather flat. For all that, it was entertaining - it's just not anything great.

The book started off kind of slow for me, but turned into a page turner soon enough. I didn’t like it as much as Lie to Me or Tear me Apart. Some of the point of views were confusing and some of the characters were hard to keep track of. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

3.5/5 stars

Well this author nailed it!!
An amazing story that kept you guessing on what next. I didn't know that there was another sibling who orchestrated it all. Wow!! Wow!! Loved it.
Another must read book. Thank you #nergalley

J.T. Ellison hasn’t disappointed me yet. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this book, thank you netgalley. This book as well as all of this authors books are wonderful. A thrill ride that keeps you guessing and never disappoints. Highly recommend!

I hate to say this, I KNEW! It takes more than this to surprise me! I would never send my daughter to an all rich girls school! They come out feeling entitled, like most feminist! I did like the story, for the creep factor! Because of it being genuinely creepy, lot of which one really did the murders, I did know, from the meeting on the street when they were very young. Here is where I am irritated, I grew up physically hit by my father, painful for years! I never murdered anyone, stole their money, of took drugs! I am tired of this being an excuse. The story is brilliantly told!
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Unfortunately after several attempts I have been unable to get into this book even though it was written by an author whose work I have enjoyed in the past.
As I have not read the whole book I do not feel that it would be fair to post a review elsewhere so will not be doing so.

This is a very dark story that takes place within a very elite all girls school in Virginia. The school is somewhat of a boarding school, but those who attend are almost guaranteed a spot in the ivy leagues. Each girl that attends has a wealthy family, some famous, some politicians, and others just old family money. One girl in particular Ash, is a special case. Both her parents commutes suicide, and within days of beginning classes there are two more deaths at the school.... all revolving around her.
This is a fast paced mystery, filled with twisted motivations, secrets, lies, and secret societies. I would classify this book as more catered to young adults, however I really enjoyed reading it! The author offers a nice PSA at the end of the book about suicide and includes a helpline number which I greatly appreciated. I look forward to everyone getting to read this when it is published in December!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A change to read J.T. Ellison is always a welcome treat. This was a very long book at 89 chapters. An interesting concept but the characters could have been more developed, less brats. This was harder to get into than previous books by Ms. Ellison that I've read.